After just a few days home from the hospital we noticed Judah's skin was turning red and raw in the diaper area. I was using a popular commercial wipe that advertised claims such as 'natural', 'unscented' and gentle on sensitive skin. A quick Google search enlightened me regarding the ingredients in these wipes. No wonder he complained! Anyone up for a little carcinogenic, toxic formula in a baby wipe made of melted plastic? Me neither!
Click here for Cosmetics Database info.
I found several recipes for baby wipes online and as per my usual recipe routine, I made my own concoction. Excluding the cost of the paper towels, solution enough for 50 wipes cost $1.75. A container of 62 wipes at Walmart cost $3.97 plus taxes. You can bring the price down even more putting the solution in a bottle and using reusable cloths / baby facecloths.
I tri-folded 60 sheets of the Bounty Select-a-Size paper towels so they fit into an empty baby wipes container and added the baby wipe solution. You can make them unscented or use essential oils deemed safe for baby such as lavender and chamomile. I skipped the oils and used the Dr. Bronner's lavender scented soap which has the essential oils already added. I found the soap at Vita Health but you can also get it at Superstore or on Amazon.
1 tbsp Dr. Bronner's Organic Pure Castile Soap (baby unscented or lavender)
1 tbsp pure aloe vera
1 tbsp coconut oil or grapeseed oil
2 capsules Vitamin E (acts as a preservative)
Boiled or distilled water (I boil water for 5 minutes)
Mix together ingredients and add enough water to make 500mls. Pour over paper towels / cloths and let it soak through for a few hours before using.
Notes:
Not all paper towels are created equal. I found even with Bounty, depending on where I buy them (Costco vs. grocery store) they are not the same size. Sometimes when making a batch of wipes, I will need slightly more or less paper towels to soak up the liquid.
Over the hot summer, I discovered if I didn't use the wipes fast enough, they smelled a bit rancid. The solution: keep extras in the fridge until you're ready to refill a container.
